California Murder
by zzilly14
Summary: GargoylesMonkBuffy crossover. Three worlds collide in San Francisco, trying to solve a bizzare murder.
1. Mr Monk Meets the Gargoyles

_All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. All the characters appearing in Monk are copyright USA Network. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Zzilly14._  
  


**California Murder Part One  
Mr. Monk Meets the Gargoyles**  
by Zzilly14  


  
  
"Jalapeña!" exclaimed Elisa. "I really don't want to do this."  
  
"We need to meet with him. This is a big case," said Goliath softly, "and they wouldn't have called us away from our vacation if it wasn't important."  
  
After traveling cross-country for a few months, the couple stopped in Sacramento to visit some of Elisa's college friends. Shortly after arriving they had received a call, asking them to help with a case down in San Francisco.  
  
"But have you heard about this guy?" Elisa asked as she packed the rest of their things in the Hummer. "He's a little... excuse me, a LOT crazy! I'd rather jump off the Eyrie Building than work with him!"  
  
He smirked. "Because you know I'll be there to catch you, Elisa."  
  
"That's not the point!" she said as she playfully slapped his arm.

...

"Sharona, you have a lot of wipes, right? I want to make sure there's enough."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Adrian, I have three packs of them in my purse."  
  
The detective known as Adrian Monk was pacing back and forth in his apartment. "But maybe you should bring one more pack. Just in case."  
  
"Adrian! Calm down! I'm nervous too, but he's a good guy."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Okay, so he's really tall and happens to have wings. The important thing is that he's going to help us."  
  
"I need help," whimpered Monk.

...

"Goliath, everyone has problems – but Adrian Monk has a lot of them." Elisa was trying to explain to Goliath about obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias, while driving towards San Francisco.  
  
"But I don't understand," spoke the confused gargoyle, "why do things have to be equal and perfect around him? Life is certainly not either of those qualities."  
  
"That's the condition Monk has," Elisa replied. "I don't understand either, but that's just the way he is. And that's part of the reason I really would rather just spend the evening cradled in your arms, than have to deal with Mr. OCD!"  
  
Goliath scratched his head. "And in addition to this 'OCD', he is afraid of germs? Aren't they everywhere?"  
  
Elisa shrugged her shoulders. "He's Monk."

...

Sharona answered the ringing cell phone just as they got to the police station. "Hello? ... Oh, hey! How's it going? ... Twenty minutes? Sounds great! ... Okay, see you then."  
  
"They're almost here?" asked Monk. "I really don't want to do this."  
  
"You know what, Adrian? You'll thank me later. After this case is solved..."  
  
Monk pointed at his assistant. "You took my line. That's my line. That's what I'm supposed to say."  
  
Sharona laughed. "Trust me, Adrian, this is going to work out fine. Gargoyles don't bite!"  
  
"Except for one."  
  
"From what I've heard," she replied, "this killer gargoyle has a lot of issues – worse issues than you, believe it or not. Anyway, Elisa and this Goliath character have had dealings with her and can provide us with some useful information. It's a good thing they're here in the West Coast during all of this."  
  
"It's not right," Monk proclaimed.  
  
Sharona patted her boss on the back. "I know, I know..."  
  
"The books. They're not in order," he said while pointing to one of the bookcases in the station. He walked over to it and began to arrange the books correctly.  
  
"Adrian..." was all she could say.

...

"I can't believe Demona came all the way to California!" Elisa exclaimed. "Did she think she'd get a part in a movie?" At that they both laughed.  
  
"She could play the villian, of course," Goliath joked.  
  
"But that doesn't take much acting skills on her part."  
  
He sighed, pausing for a moment. "I hope she didn't really kill anyone."  
  
"I hope so too, Goliath."  
  
Ten minutes later Elisa pulled up to the police station. Goliath quickly got out so he could open the driver side door for Elisa.  
  
"Why thank you, sir!" she giggled.  
  
"You're welcome," he replied as he bowed.  
  
They went inside the building, everyone staring at Goliath. Although gargoyles were now accepted into society, people were still startled when they saw one. Especially in San Francisco, after a murder was supposedly committed by one.  
  
A blonde-haired man with a moustache came over to greet the two travelers.  
  
"Hello," he greeted, shaking Elisa's hand. "I'm Captain Stottlemeyer."  
  
"Elisa Maza. This is my friend," she smiled, "Goliath."  
  
Stottlemeyer returned the smile awkwardly as Goliath spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain. How may we be of service?"  
  
The captain motioned the couple to follow him, and they did. Everyone in the station stopped what they were doing to get a glimpse of the towering lavender gargoyle. Finally, they arrived as the captain's office.  
  
"Monk and Sharona are in there," he said. "Monk's good. He's crazy, but he's good. Anything to help him out will help us solve this case."  
  
They nodded and stepped inside the office. A blonde-haired woman was waiting impatiently, sitting behind the desk, and a dark-haired man was trying to make everything on the desk nice and neat and organized.  
  
"Excuse me," said Elisa.  
  
"Oh, hi!" exclaimed Sharona as she stood up. She glanced over at Goliath, made a little laugh, and continued to greet Elisa. "I'm Sharona Fleming, Adrian's assistant."  
  
Monk continued to fix the papers on the desk until Sharona cleared her throat about five times.  
  
"Hello," he said. "I'm Adrian Monk. And you're a gargoyle."  
  
Sharona rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we have this murder investigation going on, and since you're all familiar with gargoyles... you can help us."  
  
Elisa nodded. "What do you know so far?"  
  
The defective detective nervously got out a file folder and handed it to Elisa. "The victim had deep lacerations on his back. We think that he was running away from the suspect, who we believe to be a gargoyle, before the killer attacked him from behind, making him fall. Then it bit him. And then he was dead."  
  
"Killed by a bite? That's strange... Hey, it says here that the victim lost a lot of blood – but there aren't any injuries on the body that would cause an excessive amount of bleeding." Elisa was confused.  
  
"Goliath," asked Adrian, "Do you gargoyles... do you... do you drink blood?"  
  
"Of course not! What sorcery is this?"  
  
Elisa pondered. "Well, somehow this guy's blood was drained. Goliath, do you think Demona would need it for anything? Like a spell?"  
  
"I do not know," he replied.  
  
Suddenly the phone in the office rang. Sharona picked it up. "Hello?... Yes, I'm his assistant... Excuse me? Are you sure?... Oh, okay then... Sure... But it'll be sunrise when you get here... Okay... okay... see you then... bye."  
  
"Who... who was that?" asked Monk.  
  
"Someone else who can help us with the case. She's down near L.A. so it'll take her a few hours to get here. But, she knows about... things."  
  
Elisa asked, "What things?"  
  
Sharona laughed. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you. Heck, I don't think I even believe it."  
  
_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	2. Vampires, Gargoyles, and Germs

_All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. All the characters appearing in Monk are copyright USA Network. All the characters appearing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Zzilly14.  
_  
NOTES: Takes place during the summer between Buffy Seasons 6 and 7.  
  


**California Murder Part Two  
Vampires, Gargoyles, and Germs  
**by Zzilly14  


  
Three hours had passed since the phone call. Sharona was on her cell phone making sure her son Benjy was getting to bed okay. Elisa kept reading through the file folder, trying to figure out what happened to the victim. Goliath and Monk were outside of the office, talking.  
  
"So, Goliath... how long have you been dating Elisa?"  
  
"Dating?" The huge gargoyle began to chuckle loudly. Everyone around stared at him briefly before getting back to their duties. "What would make you think we were romantically involved?"  
  
Monk began to list off different things. "Whenever you look at each other, you give each other a little loving smile. I was curious when Sharona was on the phone earlier, you held hands, but only for a brief second because you didn't want us to notice. And you touch each other occasionally, on the back or the shoulder or the hand."  
  
"You are very observant..." a surprised Goliath stated. "Well, we did date for a couple of years before we got married, as you'd call it. We were actually in the middle of our extended honeymoon before you requested our help. But we like to keep the 'being married' thing a secret. I'd love to have it out in the open, because I love her more than anything, but we agreed to keep it quiet for a while."  
  
"Ah," Monk pondered. "That's... interesting."  
  
"Are you married, Monk?"  
  
"Yes. And no. Yes, yes I am."  
  
"Which is it?"  
  
Sharona stepped out of the office and explained to Goliath, "His wife died."  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize... How long has it been?"  
  
"Seven years," Monk replied.

...  
  
"I don't see why you insist on coming with," the young blonde muttered to the man driving. "I can handle this myself."  
  
"Are you so sure? Buffy, we haven't had reports coming from San Fran in a long time. Something's up, and I want to find out what it is."  
  
"You just want to fight alongside me again, admit it."  
  
He laughed. "Well..."  
  
"Look, the sun's coming up soon," she interrupted. Time for me to drive."

...  
  
"See you tonight, Big Guy," Elisa smiled. Quietly she whispered, "Love you."  
  
"Love you too, my Elisa," Goliath beamed before hardening into stone.  
  
"That's so sweet!" Sharona grinned as she looked at the embarrassed Elisa.   
  
Monk was amazed at the stone transformation, backing away. "That... that was different. How'd he do that?"  
  
Elisa explained, "Gargoyles turn to stone in the day. It's how they sleep."  
  
Sharona studied the stone statue. "That is so neat. Benjy would love to see this."  
  
"Benjy?" asked Elisa.  
  
"My son. He's always been fascinated by gargoyles – always wanted to meet one."  
  
"Maybe we can arrange for him to meet Goliath after we finish this case."

...  
  
"You look tired," Elisa worried. "Get some sleep." Monk was pacing back and forth while a peaceful Sharona sat sleeping in the captain's chair.  
  
"I can't... not with that stone gargoyle staring at me. Can't you just, turn him in the other direction or something?"  
  
The female detective rolled her eyes and reluctantly forced her stone husband to face the corner.  
  
"Thank you," Monk replied.  
  
"Go to sleep. Sharona is. I'll stay awake and wait for our guest, okay?"  
  
The San Fran detective kept pacing, refusing to rest.  
  
Elisa sighed and decided to get some sleep while she could, but before she could even close her eyes the office phone rang. "I'll get it," she muttered. "Hello?" she answered as she picked it up. "Anyone there? Hello? Anyone?"  
  
Sharona stretched out as she yawned. "Who was it?" she wondered.  
  
"I don't know. The other side was quiet."  
  
"That's weird," she replied.  
  
Elisa rubbed her eyes and studied the case folder again. "I still can't figure out how someone could lose so much blood with so few injuries."  
  
"Vampires." The three of them turned around to see a young woman at the door. She looked like she was in her twenties, but then again had the appearance of growing up too soon. "You've got a vampire on your hands, so I'm here to take care of it."  
  
"Vampires?" asked Monk. "You can't be serious."  
  
The woman laughed. "If you had asked me seven years ago if vampires existed, I would've laughed too. My name's Buffy Summers, vampire slayer." She held out her hand to Monk, who hesitated to shake it. "Okay then," she shrugged, dropping her hand.  
  
"He doesn't like germs," Sharona explained. "This is Adrian Monk, and I'm his assistant Sharona Fleming."  
  
"Elisa Maza, and my friend Goliath is kind of unavailable at the moment."  
  
Buffy nodded and smiled at the statue. "I didn't know there was a gargoyle clan out here."  
  
"There isn't. We're from Manhattan, and we were traveling – before we were needed down here."  
  
"Okay... so, where was the body buried?"  
  
"It's still in the morgue," replied Sharona.  
  
"Great," sighed Buffy sarcastically. "We need to get over there now. But it might be too late."  
  
"I'm not going," exclaimed Monk.  
  
Sharona stared at her boss. "Look Adrian, do you want to switch places with me? Do you want me to be the detective and you can be my assistant?"  
  
"No..." came a small reply.  
  
"Fine. You're coming with us."  
  
Buffy giggled. "I'm sorry Mr. Monk, but you seem kind of..."  
  
"Pathetic?" Sharona finished. "Yeah, he is."  
  
The four "detectives" packed into Monk's car and headed down to the morgue.  
  
"Vampire slayer, huh?" asked Elisa while they were riding in the car. "And I thought gargoyles were weird at one point."  
  
Buffy sighed. "Yeah, well I've seen a lot weirder things than vampires."  
  
Monk turned around from the front passenger seat to look at the two women. "Have you ever seen a chimpanzee? Now those things are frightening. Especially when they run around your apartment, breaking, chewing, peeing..." He sadly thought back to the time he had an unwanted house guest.  
  
"Okay..." the two women said, looking at each other with confusion.  
  
"It's a long story," Sharona informed. "Well, the good news is that we're here."  
  
"And how is that good news?" Monk wondered.  
  
After being permitted to view the body, the four were led to where the victim's body was kept. Buffy opened the door and pulled the tray out, revealing a corpse.  
  
"Thank God," she sighed.  
  
The other three looked at her oddly.  
  
"I feared that he had been turned into a vampire. Luckily, he's still dead."  
  
Monk started to walk the other direction but Elisa grabbed him. "You're not going anywhere, Mr. Monk. You're a good detective, and you're needed on this case."  
  
He nodded reluctantly and turned around to study the corpse again. "That's strange," he stated.  
  
"What?" the other three said in unison.  
  
He cleared his throat and continued, pointing to the victim's neck. "Didn't he have a bite mark?"  
  
"The photos in the case file did," Elisa said. She peered over Monk's shoulder and scanned the right side of the corpse. "It's not there anymore..."  
  
Buffy studied his neck closely, leaning in, when suddenly the victim's arm sprang up and grabbed her own neck. She rummaged around her purse for her weapon, to no avail. "Get my stake," she managed as the victim-turned-vampire continued strangling the Slayer.  
  
"Steak?" Monk thought, confused as he waited in fear by the exit. Sharona, with her quick-thinking, took her own purse and hit the vampire hard on the head. The vampire growled in pain, giving Buffy enough time to get her stake and stab him through the chest. All that remained was a bunch of dust on the body tray.  
  
"So much for a funeral viewing," Sharona said shaking her head.  
  
Elisa looked at the remains of the vampire. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," she muttered.  
  
The Slayer rubbed her neck, thankful that no one else got hurt. "Sorry about that... I didn't expect that he'd awaken so soon – especially in the day."  
  
"I was hoping I could ask him some questions," Elisa said. "Like, if a vampire created him..."  
  
"Sired him," Buffy corrected.  
  
"Excuse me, if a vampire sired him, then how did he get such nasty claw marks on his back?"  
  
Monk had finally walked back over to the others. "We originally thought a gargoyle was the suspect. Although she didn't kill him... I believe she's somehow involved with all of this."  
  
_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	3. Angels and Demons

_All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. All the characters appearing in Monk are copyright USA Network. All the characters appearing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Zzilly14._

**California Murder Part Three  
Angels and Demons**  
by Zzilly14  


  
  
He opened his eyes, relieved to see that it was past sundown. He made sure that his motel room had very thick curtains and a fridge.  
  
The man got out of bed, stretched out, and yawned. "Big night tonight," he said, looking at his watch. "Time to get the party started."  
  
He pointlessly looked into the mirror – he had no reflection, so he couldn't see his messy brown hair. He touched the top of his head and brushed it out by feeling it, hoping it looked satisfactory.  
  
Then he put on a black trench coat and headed out the door, locking the room up before leaving for downtown. 

...  
  
Meanwhile, back at the police station, Goliath was awake and curious about the day's events. Monk and Sharona had temporarily left to check on Benjy, Sharona's son, while Elisa and Buffy talked with the lavender gargoyle.  
  
"And then his hand grabbed Buffy, started to choke her, when Sharona hit his head with her purse. He was confused long enough for Buffy to do her slayer thing. It was really cool!"  
  
Goliath chuckled. "I'm sorry I missed all the action."  
  
"You should've seen Monk," Buffy exclaimed. "The poor guy was terrified. It was like he'd never seen a dead body before."  
  
Elisa shook her head. "Well I certainly haven't seen one that came alive again!"  
  
"That must be terrifying, my dar..." Goliath quickly cleared his throat before he said anything else.  
  
"My dar?" the Slayer wondered.  
  
"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all."  
  
Buffy looked back and forth between Elisa and Goliath, and then laughed. "I know what's up!" she grinned. "You two are together, aren't you?"  
  
Elisa looked to her gargoyle husband and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe this is a sign that we don't need to hide it from everyone anymore."  
  
"If you're ready to, my Elisa."  
  
She nodded. "Yes, Buffy, we're together. We're married. We kept it under wraps because although gargoyles are now accepted, we weren't sure how people would handle an interspecies relationship."  
  
Buffy sighed. "Trust me, I've been there, I perfectly understand."  
  
Goliath was curious. "You've dated a gargoyle?"  
  
"No, no. Not a gargoyle... but I know what it's like to have a, quote, forbidden love."

...  
  
She watched closely from the window as Monk and Sharona talked to Benjy.  
  
"I can meet him?" asked the excited eleven-year-old.  
  
Sharona nodded. "Yes, but not yet. We have to finish this case first. Then we'll bring him by or something."  
  
"Sweet," he smiled.  
  
Monk cleared his throat. "You'll have to meet him at night. He doesn't talk much during the day."  
  
"I know, Mr. Monk. Gargoyles turn to stone during the day so they can replenish their energy. And if they get mad, their eyes glow. And did you know they lay eggs?"  
  
"Eggs?" asked the detective.  
  
Outside the blue gargoyle was sighing. She took a liking to the boy – he apparently really looked up to the gargoyles. He was such a contrast to the Hunters that had tracked her down over the years. "Maybe there are some good humans out there..." she thought.  
  
She waited silently and hidden from view until the two adults left. Then, she tapped on the window.  
  
Benjy turned around and gasped. "A gargoyle," he thought. "A real live gargoyle!" He hurried to the window and opened it, letting the red-haired gargoyle inside.  
  
"Hi, my name's Benjy. What's yours?"  
  
"I am called Demona. Thank you for letting me in."  
  
"No problem," he replied. "You want anything to eat or drink? We've got plenty!"  
  
She smiled kindly. "That's alright, I'm not hungry."  
  
Benjy became confused. "What are you doing here, anyway?"  
  
"I heard that you wanted to meet a gargoyle, so here I am."  
  
"But you're not the one my mom was talking about..."  
  
"No, I am not. I'm... a friend of Goliath's. He's helping Mr. Monk with that murder mystery."  
  
"Yeah. The news keeps saying a gargoyle was the one who did it. But I don't believe them. Gargoyles protect."  
  
Demona smiled, appreciative of his trust. "Would you like to come gliding with me, Benjy?"  
  
The boy was delighted. "I'd love to! That'd be really fun! Hold on, though. I'm going to call my mom so she knows where I am." He started to pick up the phone but the gargoyle pushed his hand back down, hanging up the phone.  
  
"No. We won't be gone for long, your mother won't even know you left."  
  
"But what if she calls while-"  
  
Demona grinned devilishly. "Would she call you just after she saw you?"  
  
"Well..." he said, wondering. "I guess not."  
  
"Then come on!" She ran over to the window and opened it. She turned back to Benjy and held out her hand to him. He hesitated for a moment, before taking it. She held him close to her and glided off towards the starry sky.

...  
  
At around the same time, the mysterious man in the trench coat was walking around downtown San Francisco, clearly on a mission. The night was still young, so the streets were still alive with people. The man glanced at the numerous happy couples and sighed.  
  
He walked into a dark alley to avoid everyone and didn't notice the figure who was following him...

...  
  
A half hour later, Goliath and Elisa were walking the streets of San Fran. Buffy had left to run some errands, and since Monk and Sharona hadn't returned, the couple decided to take advantage of their free time.  
  
They held hands and grinned, ignoring the staring faces.  
  
"I love summer nights," Elisa sighed. "It's warm, but the sun isn't beating down on your back."  
  
Goliath laughed with exaggeration. "What I wouldn't give to see your beautiful face caressed by the sunlight..."  
  
His wife giggled and blushed. "I didn't know you could be so romantic!"  
  
Their date was interrupted when they heard the sound of a gargoyle gliding through the air. Goliath looked up to see Demona, carrying what appeared to be a blanket.  
  
"Come on, let's follow her," he growled, his eyes glowing white. He started to climb a building when Elisa stopped him.  
  
"She might see you if you glide. Let's track her by foot."  
  
So the two ran down the city streets, trying to figure out where Demona was headed.  
  
"Let's go through this alley," Goliath said. "It'll be faster."  
  
The two quickly went down the alley but stopped when they noticed two men, who were talking, coming towards them. As they stepped away from the shadows, the couple could see their vampire faces.  
  
Goliath leapt to the first vampire and began to punch him. "You are an abomination!" he growled. The second vampire attacked the gargoyle from behind and bit him.  
  
"Argh!" he yelled, and elbowed him in the jaw, sending the demon backwards into the wall. Before he could wake up Elisa nervously took a stick on the ground and jabbed it through the vampire's chest. Luckily she hit the heart and the vampire was history.  
  
The vampire Goliath was attacking suddenly morphed his face back into a human and held his hands up. "Stop, stop!"  
  
The gargoyle glared at the vampire. "And why should I, monster? You and your kind kill humans! And it is my job to protect humans. Which means you are my enemy."  
  
"But I'm not!" he screamed. "I'm a friend of Buffy's."  
  
Goliath stood up and helped the man up. "I thought she killed vampires."  
  
"She does," he said, rubbing his throbbing cheek, "but I'm the exception." He held out his hand to Goliath. "My name's Angel."  
  
_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	4. Discoveries

_All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. All the characters appearing in Monk are copyright USA Network. All the characters appearing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Zzilly14._

**California Murder Part Four  
Discoveries  
**

by Zzilly14

  
  
Goliath looked at the hand and eventually shook it. "I am Goliath, and this is... my wife, Elisa."  
  
The raven-haired woman walked over to them and sighed with a mix of relief and excitement. "I killed a vampire. Wow." She turned to Angel. "So, how is it that you're a good guy?"  
  
"I have a soul," he replied. "At the end of the 19th century I killed the daughter of a gypsy, and as a punishment her family gave me my soul back – so I had to live with the guilt of all the pain I caused."  
  
"Then what were you doing with that other vampire?" the gargoyle wondered.  
  
"Getting information from him. Buffy was visiting me in L.A. when we heard about the murder on the news. She was just going to come up by herself, but the thing is, there usually there aren't many vamps up here in San Fran. I think something big is up so I came up with her to find out what's going on.  
  
"Anyway, that vamp was following me and when I faced him, I pretended I was just like a regular vampire. So when I saw you two coming down the alley-"  
  
"You had to play the part," Elisa finished. "I know about undercover work. So, what did you find out?"  
  
"Unfortunately not a lot. He was working for somebody, but I don't know who. Could be a vamp. Or a demon."  
  
"Or a gargoyle," Goliath added.  
  
Angel nodded. "Sadly, yes. It's possible your renegade friend may be behind this. Anyway, apparently the victim had something that this vamp's boss wants. The scumbag didn't tell me what it was, but he definitely didn't have it."  
  
"Someone else took it before the vampire could," Elisa thought aloud.  
  
Suddenly her cell phone started ringing. She excused herself and picked up. "Maza... Yeah, we're actually with him now... He didn't find that out... Okay, we'll meet you back at the station in a little while. Bye."  
  
"Buffy?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah. She went to your motel room and discovered you went missing. She was worried."  
  
"She tends to do that," he remarked. "Especially if I'm involved."  
  
Elisa laughed. "Sounds exactly like my Big Guy," she smiled as she hugged her husband. "He tends to worry about me a lot."  
  
Angel cleared his throat. "If you think Buffy and I are... you know... we're not. Not for a long time."  
  
"We should probably go back," said Goliath. "I'm sure Sharona and Monk would have returned by now."  
  
Elisa nodded. "Yeah, we should regroup and figure out what to do next."

...  
  
Back at the police station, Sharona and Monk were waiting.  
  
"Where could they have gone?" Sharona wondered. "We leave for what, a half hour? And they're gone. All of them, disappeared."  
  
"They probably got bored," answered Monk. "People tend to do that, when they have to wait. Like right now."  
  
Buffy returned to the office and smiled at the two of them. "Hey guys. When did you get back?"  
  
"A half hour ago," replied an irritated Sharona. "Where'd you go?"  
  
"I had some business to take care of. Goliath and Elisa are on their way back, with a friend of mine."  
  
"Is your friend going to help us with this murder mystery too?" asked the blonde-haired assistant.  
  
The Slayer nodded. "Yeah, he tried getting some information on the streets, but didn't get a whole lot. At least not yet."

...  
  
Demona glided to the abandoned warehouse she was staying at, cradling the green blanket in her arms. She landed and walked inside, making sure no one was following her.  
  
As the days in San Francisco turned into weeks, she had tried to fix the place up a bit. There were newspaper articles concerning the murder all over the walls, an old rug she picked up on the side of the road, and a mattress that she bought at a yard sale during the hours while she was human.  
  
Sleeping on the mattress was eleven-year-old Benjy, who had begun to fall asleep after Demona took him from his apartment. When she arrived at her home, she had carefully placed him on the bed, trying not to wake him.  
  
Although it was summer, the air conditioner made the place extremely cold. Demona noticed Benjy shivering, so she had left the boy briefly to find him a blanket. Luckily a sleeping homeless person a few blocks away wasn't using his, so she quietly took it and hurried away before the man even noticed.  
  
The gargoyle silently crept to the boy and delicately put the blanket over him, smiling sadly at him as he continued to sleep.  
  
"I'm sorry you have to be in this mess," she whispered softly.

...  
  
Angel, Goliath, and Elisa were heading back to the police station, talking about various things.  
  
"...and then people became the costumes they were wearing. Xander was this serious military leader type. And Willow was a ghost – she could walk through walls and all that. And Buffy... you should've seen her, she was dressed up as this 18th century 'proper lady'... she was the opposite of Slayer, that's for sure."  
  
"That's very... interesting," Goliath replied. "One time Puck changed my Elisa into a gargoyle, and she thought she had always been one."  
  
"And then he turned you and your clan into humans," she reminded him. "As the gargoyles like to say – it's sorcery!"  
  
"So," the souled-vampire wondered, "what brings you to the West Coast? Aren't you guys from New York?"  
  
"We've been doing a cross-country trip for our honeymoon," Elisa replied, smiling.  
  
"Congrats on getting married. That's wonderful."  
  
The three continued walking until Angel stopped, smelling the air. "I smell a gargoyle," he said. "And it's not you, Goliath."  
  
"Demona," the lavender gargoyle growled. "Lead us to her."  
  
While the gang headed for Demona, Elisa whipped out her cell phone and got a hold of Sharona, filling her in on the details.  
  
"Hey guys, wait," Elisa said, still on the line with Sharona. "We've got a problem."  
  
"What is it?" Goliath asked.  
  
"Sharona called her apartment to check up on her son, but there was no answer. I think we're near her apartment, so we should go over there and make sure he's okay."  
  
Angel looked at his two new friends. "You guys do that. I'll check out where Demona's hiding out, and then meet you back at the station."  
  
Elisa got on Goliath's back and he scaled the wall of one of the buildings before taking to the air.  
  
"It's over there," said Elisa, pointing at a window where the lights were still on.  
  
They landed as the gargoyle growled. "The window's open," he noticed.  
  
"Demona." The woman shook her head sadly – the apartment was empty.

...  
  
Ten minutes later the couple returned to the office to see a distraught Sharona.  
  
"He wouldn't run away!" she explained. "He's wouldn't..."  
  
Buffy patted her shoulder. "Ms. Fleming, we'll find Benjy. Even if I have to go through every nook and cranny in this town."  
  
"Sharona," Goliath said, "I think Demona took him – the window in your apartment was open."  
  
Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher had already left with some other cops to search for Benjy, while the rest of the gang waited for Angel.  
  
Monk was pacing back and forth, trying to keep his mind busy by giving into his OCD tendencies. Buffy was also pacing back and forth, but twirling her stake. Goliath and Elisa held each other, and Sharona tried to keep from crying. Suddenly the office phone rang, and Sharona picked it up.  
  
"Benjy?" she immediately cried.  
  
"No," replied a female's voice with a slight accent. "But don't worry, he's safe."  
  
Sharona became angry, putting on the speaker phone. "Why did you take my son... Demona?"  
  
The other side was deathly quiet for a few moments. "I see that Goliath has it all figured out, or at least he thinks he does. Look, no harm will come to the boy. He's fine."  
  
Goliath growled. "Demona, return him to us. I don't know why you're doing all of this, but-"  
  
"I... I can't tell you right now," she said. "But it'll all make sense soon. Goliath, I know you can't trust me, but on our daughter's life I swear to you that Benjy will not get hurt."  
  
The lavender gargoyle sighed while Sharona yelled into the speaker phone. "Just tell me where my son is!"  
  
"I can't," they heard her say in an upset voice. "Not yet... not yet..." Then the other side hung up.

...  
  
While Demona was still on the phone, Angel had managed to find the old warehouse. He looked through the window and saw the blue-skinned gargoyle using a cell phone, pacing back and forth. From the angle he was at, he didn't see Benjy.  
  
He waited, and saw Demona beginning to cry, saying "Not yet, not yet." Then she hung up and threw the phone down, putting her face in her hands.  
  
Angel heard a kid's voice begin to speak. It was then he saw the boy walking over to the crying gargoyle, patting her arm. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"  
  
The vampire listened carefully as Demona finally admitted what was going on. He was shocked as much as Benjy was – but before he could inform his friends of the situation, someone knocked him out with a crowbar.  
  
_TO BE CONCLUDED..._


	5. Secrets Revealed

_All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. All the characters appearing in Monk are copyright USA Network. All the characters appearing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Zzilly14._  
  


**California Murder Part Five  
Secrets Revealed  
**by Zzilly14  


  
  
"Well, well, well, it seems our friend has decided to wake up!"  
  
The vampire with a soul had started waking. He wasn't sure how long he was out, and couldn't tell if the sun had risen or not. All he could remember was Demona crying, Benjy comforting her... his memory was blurry after that.  
  
He rubbed his head, wincing in pain.  
  
"Hurts, doesn't it? I had to, though. I don't like spies."  
  
Angel recognized that British voice from somewhere... but only vaguely. The man came into view and grinned.  
  
"Ethan Rayne," Angel spat. "I knew you'd come out of hiding some time. What are you up to?"  
  
"Oh the usual. Having fun. Causing trouble. Although this time, I'm doing something for myself."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"Have you ever heard of the Jewel of Avalon?"  
  
"It rings a bell," he replied, "but please, enlighten me."  
  
Ethan laughed. "Gladly. Avalon is where the Third Race lives – home of Oberon and his children. In Avalon, time passes by very slowly. Every hour on Avalon equals a day out here."  
  
"Interesting... what does that have to do with the Jewel?"  
  
"I'm getting there, Angel. Be quiet and listen. Oberon banished his wife Titania and his children from Avalon for a thousand years. During that time – actually, near the end of her exile - she got married and had a child. When she returned to Avalon she wanted to give something back to her daughter and her family. She decided to give them a part of Avalon by creating the Jewel."  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
"When in possession of it, it has amazing healing powers. But it can also be used in spells that require a magical talisman. With it, I'm going become immortal by permanently slowing down the aging process. Luckily I retrieved it before Titania's daughter did."  
  
"And how does Demona figure into all of this?"  
  
"Nowhere. She was in the way. In fact, you get to watch her and her little friend die."  
  
"What?" Angel exclaimed in horror as Ethan whistled. Two vampires pushed the prisoners onto the ground. They were tied up and gagged. One was Benjy, the young boy who had cared for Demona. The other one – he wasn't sure. She had red hair, and looked similar to the gargoyle, but she was a human.  
  
"Don't tell me you didn't know Demona becomes a human during the day!"  
  
Angel looked at the two people lying on the floor. "That was one detail I was unaware of."  
  
...  
  
The sun had already been up for a couple of hours, and still no Benjy. Goliath was a stone statue once more. Elisa held Sharona, brushing her hair, while Buffy kept trying to call Angel's cell phone.  
  
"He's still not answering," she worried. "I've got to go find him."  
  
Elisa looked up at the young woman. "Maybe he found Benjy, and he's on his way over here."  
  
Buffy shook her head. "He would've called if he found him. And he can't exactly walk around during the day." She paced around the office, then spoke again. "I need to find Angel. He might be in trouble."  
  
Sharona looked up at the Slayer. "If you find him, will you..."  
  
"We'll look for Benjy." She smiled weakly and stepped out of the office. She saw Monk screaming at Stottlemeyer and Disher, the latter two having just returned from their search.  
  
"You didn't find him? He's got to be around somewhere! Go look again!"  
  
"Monk!" the Captain shouted. "We're doing the best we can."  
  
The detective sadly looked through the office window at Sharona and then stared back at the Captain. "It's not good enough," he stated before storming off.  
  
Disher glanced at Monk's assistant before he turned to Stottlemeyer. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to find Benjy. I'm not waiting around anymore while you try to come up with a plan."  
  
Before the Captain could stay anything, Lt. Disher walked towards the exit, and Buffy followed.  
  
"Disher!" she called when they got outside. He turned and stopped.  
  
"Buffy, right?"  
  
"Yeah," she replied. "I'm coming with you. My friend Angel is missing too. He was looking for Demona, and then disappeared. If we find Angel, we'll find Benjy."  
  
The officer nodded and the two walked the streets, not sure what direction they were heading.  
  
...  
  
"Let them go, Ethan!" Angel yelled. "You can do whatever you want with me."  
  
The man laughed. "Nice try, Vampire. But they're needed for my Immortality Spell. At least the boy is."  
  
Angel got up from the chair he was sitting in and growled. "If you hurt him..."  
  
"Sorry, it's an unfortunate but necessary part of the spell."  
  
Demona looked sadly at Benjy, wishing she could have protected him better, while Ethan took something out of his pocket.  
  
"This is the Jewel of Avalon," he sighed staring into his glowing turquoise center. "I can feel its power, just by holding it..."  
  
Angel lunged at him, causing him to drop the jewel. It slid towards the two prisoners on the ground. Demona managed to grab it with her hands, and closed her eyes in concentration. Suddenly the gags and ropes flew off of her and Benjy.  
  
"Come on," she whispered to the boy. He grabbed her hand and they began to run, but the two vampire lackeys got in their way.  
  
Angel was still beating up Ethan, but the latter managed to fight back, and eventually the vampire was threatened with a knife pointed at his heart.  
  
"You will not spoil my plans, Angel. You think you can outsmart me?"  
  
"I know I can," said a familiar voice. Both Angel and Ethan turned just as Buffy was slaying the second vampire. "It's over, Ethan."  
  
Randy walked in and Benjy ran to him. "I called your mom, Benjy. Everything's okay now."  
  
Buffy moved towards Ethan slowly. "Drop the knife."  
  
"You foolish girl, I'm not giving up that easily!" He prepared to stab Angel when suddenly the knife morphed into a feather. "What the...?"  
  
Demona laughed. "You forgot who has the Jewel. Foolish human."  
  
Angel punched the British man in the face, knocking him out. "Thanks, Demona."  
  
Buffy stared at the redhead. "Wait, I thought you were a gargoyle."  
  
"I am. Instead of becoming stone during the day, I become human."  
  
"Interesting," she nodded.  
  
...  
  
The group headed back to the station – although Angel had to be covered up to prevent getting burned up.  
  
When they arrived, Ethan was brought into custody.  
  
Sharona, when she saw her son, ran to him and held him tight. "You scared me to death, Benjy." She looked up at Randy. "Thank you."  
  
"Well, I didn't find him, Buffy was the one who..."  
  
"Randy. Thank you."  
  
He blushed. "No problem. Just doing my job."  
  
"Am I going to be arrested?" asked Demona to Monk.  
  
Before Monk could say anything, Elisa stared the woman down. "You should be. You kidnapped an eleven-year-old boy!"  
  
"I had my reasons, Detective," she spat.  
  
"What happened with that murder, Demona?" Buffy wondered. "You were involved."  
  
"The man was working for Ethan. I knew he was on his way to deliver the Jewel of Avalon. So, I hunted him down. He wouldn't hand it over nicely, so I attacked him. While he was down I took the Jewel and I fled."  
  
"My guess is that he went to Ethan after that, and when it was discovered he lost the Jewel, Ethan let those vampires have a snack," said Monk.  
  
"So why did you want the Jewel?" Elisa asked skeptically.  
  
"With the right spell, it... it can take away immortality. I've been around for too long. I'm tired of living. I just want to die in peace, and I can't. So... I tracked down the Jewel to end my life."  
  
"Why take my son?" Sharona glared.  
  
Angel spoke up. "To protect him from Ethan. The spell he desired to perform required a sacrifice – a child."  
  
"But not just any child," said Demona. "A blood relative."  
  
"Ethan is related to me?" Sharona asked in surprise.  
  
"Not you. The boy's father. He's a distant cousin or something." Demona bowed her head. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect him. And I apologize that I caused you grief."  
Sharona smiled weakly. "At least everything turned out okay."  
  
...  
  
After sunset, Goliath woke up and was angered to see Demona. Elisa told him of the day's events, but he still glared at her like he didn't trust her.  
  
Benjy was pleased to meet Goliath, and the lavender gargoyle was happy as well.  
  
Demona cleared her throat. "I better be going. I have a long journey ahead of me."  
  
Elisa also cleared her throat. "Hold on a sec, there. Hand over the Jewel."  
  
"Of... of course," she replied, putting the Jewel in her hands.  
  
"What will you do with it?" asked Benjy.  
  
"It's going to New York with us," she smiled. "We intend to deliver it to its rightful owner."  
  
The blue gargoyle waved at everyone awkwardly. "Goodbye, all."  
  
Benjy hugged her. "I'll miss you. Write me, okay?"  
  
She patted his head softly. "If your Mom will let me." Sharona nodded her head reluctantly, seeing how much her son admired Demona.  
  
Then Demona left, not knowing where her journeys would take her next.  
  
Buffy and Angel were holding hands. "We're heading back to L.A. It was... fun, helping you guys out." They smiled as they headed out the door.  
  
Elisa hugged Sharona. "If you're ever in New York, look us up."  
  
"I will," she replied. "It was great meeting you."  
  
Goliath held out his hand to Monk. "You are an interesting person, Mr. Monk. It has been a most unusual experience working with you."  
  
Monk stared at the gargoyle's hand, then took it and shook. "You're pretty interesting yourself." He let go, then desperately called to Sharona, "Wipe!"  
  
...  
  
Elisa held Goliath's hand as she drove the Hummer back East. "Vampires. That's probably the weirdest thing I've experienced to date!"  
  
"The strangest encounter I've experienced... would have to be Adrian Monk."  
  
The two laughed as they continued traveling, leaving San Francisco behind them.  
  
_THE END!_


End file.
